14 DAY TRIAL // I did not expect to be so involved in Killzone 3, the new first-person shooter that is exclusive to the PlayStation 3, so soon, mainly because I had very mixed feelings about its predecessor and the pre-launch hype seemed to indicate a better game but nothing ground breaking.
But it took less than one full hour spent with this most recent shooter from Guerrilla Games and Sony to color me impressed with how the game looks and how it plays, especially the huge variety of things it throws at the player in a rather limited time.
The starting sequence might be a bit anti climactic on its own, even if it puts the player in the combat boots of a Helghast soldier, but soon after things start to ramp up, with a mech section, a lot of firefights and an on rails turret manning sequence all cramped up in no more than three hours.
Add to this a section where the gamer lays down anti-sniper fire and a few quieter moments when the player has a chance to look around at the cruisers and mechs that are engaging each other on the periphery of his own battlespace.
Killzone 3 really manages to make me one part of a larger conflict and give him a role that needs to played in the bigger play.
The Helghast soldiers are capable, especially when the game adopts a corridor-like sequence, and know when to throw grenades and when to assault the player and his squad mates.
The friendly companions are also fairly capable, but Killzone 3 manages to make the player always feel like the hero, with his actions being the ones that really push the battle forward.
There are some annoying bits where enemies or friendlies seem to spawn directly in the player's wake and the clear insubordination from Rico and Sev seems a bit much at times.
But Killzone 3 is a very solid, very monumental and very engaging first-person shooter that is a must for all those who own a PlayStation 3 and have any sort of interest for FPS gameplay.
Here's another look at the game (some minor story spoilers are included):